Nvidia allegedly working on dual-GPU, GK110-based GTX 790

Most of Nvidia's GeForce GPU lines of the past few years have included a dual-GPU model, and it seems the 700 series will be no exception. Sources have told VideoCardz that Nvidia is working on a new high-end graphics card, most likely the GeForce GTX 790, designed as a response to AMD's upcoming 'Hawaii' graphics cards. The GTX 790 is said to include two of Nvidia's top-end GK110 GPUs, used on the GTX Titan and GTX 780.

VideoCardz are expecting that this GTX 790 would not cost more than $1000, potentially slotting into the price bracket currently occupied by the Titan. Nvidia would then slightly lower the prices of their other GK110-based cards to even out pricing across the range.

However, there's also a less likely possibility that this new high-end card from Nvidia will feature just a single, fully enabled GK110 GPU, to make it something along the lines of a GeForce GTX Titan successor. The GK110 chip features 2,880 CUDA cores on the die, although with the Titan just 2,688 of the cores are enabled; a Titan successor with a fully enabled GK110 would harness all the CUDA cores for additional processing power.

Also, VideoCardz have allegedly heard from manufacturers that Nvidia's next range of cards, the 'Maxwell' GeForce 800 series, will launch in Q1 2014. If their sources are correct, the sooner-than-expected launch may mean we won't see a 20nm process utilized for the GPUs. TSMC will not be capable of mass producing 20nm chips until June 2014, so either 20nm 800 series GPUs are off the cards, or there will be graphics card shortages.

While these reports are just rumors at this stage, it seems likely that we'll see a dual-GPU 700 series card hit the market soon, especially as we edge closer to AMD's next generation GPU product launch. Hopefully an official announcement from Nvidia isn't too far away.